A hardy creature in Ukraine — and other news in pictures
, The Times
Pope Leo arrives for his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall of the Vatican, where he called on Europeans to overcome political and religious tensions and unite
MASSIMO PERCOSSI/EPA
The tallest building in the City of London, 22 Bishopsgate, catches the sun’s rays. At 278 metres (912 feet), the building is still dwarfed by the capital’s tallest skyscraper, however: the Shard, which stands 310m high, is just over the river
KIN CHEUNG/AP
Mauro Schmid of Switzerland begins the fifth and final stage of the Tour of Oman, in the old souk of Nizwa. He came fourth in the overall rankings, behind Adam Yates of Britain in third. Christian Scaroni of Italy won
DARIO BELINGHERI/GETTY IMAGES
Other than the ski slopes, Cortina d’Ampezzo, which is hosting the Winter Olympics, is known for its high-fashion shopping. Its main street, Corso Italia, is sometimes called the Bond Street of the Dolomites
ROBERT F. BUKATY/AP
Sword-makers in northeast Tokyo forge katana blades, the weapons of choice of the samurai
YUICHI YAMAZAKI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Magdalena Bay, an indie-pop duo from Los Angeles, performing at Brixton Academy, south London
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The Shan State Army, at a military parade last week, are one of the largest insurgent groups in Myanmar. Its leader has accused the West of turning a blind eye as the ruling military junta conducts deadly airstrikes against civilians
JITTRAPON KAICOME/REUTERS
Police had to step in after a swan lost its way and ended up in heavy traffic in central Berlin this week
JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Snow blankets the surrounding forests and ramparts of Zilkale, a medieval castle in “Storm Valley”, along the Black Sea coast of Turkey
BULENT ISMAILOGLU/ANADOLU/GETTY IMAGES
The Mexican Air Force celebrates its 111th anniversary at the Santa Lucia base, north of Mexico City
MARIANA MAYTORENA/OBTURADORMX/GETTY IMAGES
Hundreds of Bangladeshis cram on to the decks of passenger ferries to make it out of Dhaka. Many workers are heading back to their home districts to cast their votes in the national election today
PINU RAHMAN/NURPHOTO/SHUTTERSTOCK
An oriental garden lizard in West Bengal. While normally olive-brown, they can quickly change colour — a vibrant red or black — to attract mates or defend territory
DIPTENDU DUTTA/ZUMA PRESS WIRE/ALAMY
Haruka Nakao warms up for the women’s moguls final in the Winter Olympics. She finished in 17th place after the first run: gold eventually went to Elizabeth Lemley of the United States
PATRICK SMITH/GETTY IMAGES
JD Vance with his four-year-old daughter, Mirabel, in Baku, Azerbaijan. The vice-president also visited Armenia as part of the highest-level American delegation in the Caucasus since Joe Biden visited Georgia in 2009
KEVIN LAMARQUE/REUTERS
Anti-government protests turned violent in Tirana, with 16 people injured in the Albanian capital. Demonstrators demand the resignation of the deputy prime minister over alleged corruption
VLASOV SULAJ/NURPHOTO/SHUTTERSTOCK
The penguins of Harbin Polar Park, in the very northeast of China, were dressed in red Tang suits to celebrate the forthcoming spring festival. Lunar new year, ushering in the year of the horse, is on Tuesday
ZHAO YUHANG/CHINA NEWS SERVICE/VCG/GETTY IMAGES
Daniel Acosta, a window-cleaner in Edinburg, Texas, dropped in to help cheer up patients at Driscoll Children’s Hospital
DELCIA LOPEZ/THE MONITOR/AP
More than 1,800 people came to bathe in the Mar Chiquita, a salt lake in Argentina, on Sunday. The salinity averages about 35g per litre in humid years, but has been 120g per litre recently because of lower water levels
MARIO SAR/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
The Swiss women’s team huddle before their match in the Olympic Games. They lost 3-1 to Finland, who go through to the quarter-finals on Tuesday
PIERO CRUCIATTI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Pierce Brosnan and Lily James attend Every Note Counts at the Roundhouse in Camden. The “musical tasting” evening was devised by Max Richter, who composed pieces of music to accompany three different cuvées from Krug, the champagne maker
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